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Horse Care and Comfort

Opinions on deep litter beds?

By:

Uraeus

Date:

2012-Jan-03 at 07:48PM

My yard owner deep litters her shavings but I really disagree with this. Everything inside me screams not to leave horses standing on urine because of the chemicals, smell ect. Also shavings heat up so how can this be good for a horses feet? I've been reading a lot about deep littering and there seem to be very mixed opinions on it, a lot of people think that done properly its a god send but it just seems wrong and a bit lazy to me, any opinions on this?

Dennis 2012-Jan-03 at 11:56PM

Uraeus
Like everything else, if you do it correctly it works very well. If you don't then you create not only a mess but a health hazard for the horse. One of the most important part of having a hors in a stall is good to great ventilation. The term adiquate only conveys the minimum.
Since my horse has access to hi paddock 24/7 he poops outside and pees in his stall most of the time. The wet shavings are removed daily and any manure is picked up. Additional shavings are added as needed. His stall is stripped two or three times a year. I don't put a lot of shavings in since there is no reason to. I start with three bales for a 12' X 12' stall and add an additional bag every 4 or 5 days. If you don't remove the wet and only cover it up you are exposing your horse to ammonia which is harmful to their lungs.
If you want to test how well the stall is being maintained sit down in the stall and smell the air. You may not notice the ammonia smell standing up but you will sitting down if the stall is not clean.

cheers

star 2012-Jan-04 at 12:22PM

Having a mare, my husband and I have to completely clean her stall every day.
Her urine is strong and the strangest thing is, she too has access to her paddock all the time as well but for some reason always does her business in her stall.
Helps keep the yard clean but we have to clean her stall all the time as well.
We use good shavings and with her rubber mats this seems to work great.
We also apply agricultural lime on her matts to disinfect before applying an inch or so of the shavings.
With her doors open she has great ventilation.
I like your test, being really short myself I know what you're talking about.
Ronda

emlaw 2012-Jan-12 at 06:34AM

As Dennis says, if it's done correctly it is fine and provides a cushioned layer for the horse to stand on. But it is necessary to be very scrupulous about removing every bit of droppings and wet patches, otherwise it's bad for their hooves and respiratory systems. I have seen deep litter beds removed after a year and there was no smell coming from the compacted shavings. It's also labour saving and uses less bedding material than a full muck out every day.